Preservings $20 No. 25, December, 2005 - Plett Foundation

A beautiful vista, the welcome to Borosenko. On May 25, 1999, a visit to the Borosenko Colony, founded by the Kleine Gemeinde and Old Colonists in 1865. L.-r: our driver,
Harold Janz, Winnipeg, pastor Frank Dyck, and Dr. Royden Loewen, stop at the crest of the hill on the south side of the river to gaze at the beautiful sight, view towards the
northwest. To the rear are the fertile escarpments, fields once tilled by our Kleine Gemeinde and Old Kolony forebears. Photo Preservings No. 15, p. 76.
lived, had built a new very fine house. Yet, many
things had already changed. The old held the
charm for us. Yet, we children too had become
older and different.
By Martin Hamm, Aus der alten in die neue
Heimat, pages 11-17.
Frank Dyck Recollections - Soviet Russia,
1917.
We read about additional experiences of the
village of Schöndorf in The Penner Family book
by Kathy Penner:
“Until the time of the revolution in 1917, life
in Russia for the Mennonites had been very good
With the special privileges given them upon arrival,
and again reaffirmed later, they had a large
measure of freedom, not only in their religious
practices and beliefs, but also in managing their
own civil affairs, education, industry and welfare.
The religious leaders usually also became
the civil leaders and had power over moral issues.
As they became wealthier, there was some
conflict for power between the religious leaders
and the progressive industrialists. To maintain
their freedom, a network of schools, hospitals
and welfare institutions was established.”
“If things were going so well for the Mennonites,
why then this massive exodus in the
1920s? The driving forces were the revolution
in 1917 followed by the continued civil war
and the harsh enforcement of Communism. The
Ukraine was seen as counter revolutionary by
the new Bolshevik government, hence special
pressure was put upon them to avoid separation
from Russia The area became the battlefield for
different armies every few months. The era of
mass killings began with the Machnov bands in
October, 1918. They were driven by a spirit of
revenge against some of their former employers
or leaders, but also attacked whole villages randomly,
killing the heads of households, raping
the women and burning the homes. In October,
86 - Preservings No. 25, December 2005
1920, the Red Army occupied the area for the
next two years.”
“The revolution in 1917 and the repeated
raids of murderous bands and various armies,
resulted in the destruction of homes, furniture,
factories, and mills, leaving them all equally
poor. Horses, cows and pigs were reduced so
there was not even one per farm. The widespread
drought in 1921 decimated even the little they
had been able to seed. Anything and everything
was included in their meagre menu: dried leaves,
chaff, corncobs, cats, dogs and gophers. The
deaths by starvation deaths were only reduced
when the American and Mennonite Relief
started to come. The famine cut across all social
and economic lines, and the relief responded
to all. The extreme poverty, poor hygiene and
starvation gave rise to the typhus epidemic,
which also took its toll. It was a terrible chain
of calamities.”
“Institutions were robbed, closed or taken
over by the government for their cadet schools.
Schools no longer were free to teach as before.
Religion became a burning issue. By 1927, arrests
and exile of all religious leaders became
alarmingly common. If there was a possibility
of economic survival, there would be no
religious survival. The main reason for leaving
was the survival of the soul. What about those
who remained? They, often in exile, knew no
family, security, community of spiritual brotherhood,
but died secure in their faith in God.
Stories given by family members, only give us
a small glimpse of the pain of separations, the
hard labour in Siberian work camps, without
adequate clothing and food. Truly they displayed
faithfulness through adversity.”
Source: Kathy Penner, The Penner Family,
pages 10-13.
Lunch.
Whereas some villages in the region de-
clined, the villages of Schöndorf and Nikolaithal
grew and eventually were amalgamated as one
village, known in Russian as Nowosofijewka.
It is also the headquarters of the local collective
farm (Kolchoz) called Thälmann. It encompassed
much of the territory of the former
Borosenko Colony. Thälmann was a famous
East German communists and many Kolchozes
founded among German people were named
after him.
During his tours of the area, Delbert Plett had
always hoped to make contact with the local Collective
as it was of great interest to members of
his groups to meet with and talk to those farming
the land that once belonged to their forebears.
In June of 1999, Plett, together with Rev. Frank
Dyck, at that time Mennonite pastor in Zaporozhe,
met with Mr. Kanoba Vadim Valentinovich,
Chairman of Thälman Collective Farm and made
arrangements for such a visit.
With this approval in hand Ukraine Tours
in Zaporozhe was able to arrange a visit by the
2002 tour group including lunch on June 8. Unfortunately
we were unable to meet the chairman
who was away on business. We were, however,
enthusiastically welcomed by the chair of the
village Soviet, Pjotr Nikolaevic Belinkij. We
were treated to a magnificent repast of borscht
with bacon, pork roast, hamburger, many kinds
of sausage, tomato salad, chives with bacon,
bread, vereniki with cheese, various beverages,
and much more. The tables were very well appointed.
Since our group consisted mostly of farmers,
they had the floor in this case, and also
had many questions to put to the leaders of
the village Soviet. This resulted in a vigorous
discussion. It became apparent that farmers in
Ukraine faced many of the same problems as in
western Canada, only worse. Not the least, was
competing against the U.S.A. and its massively
subsidized agricultural economy.